"Working smarter not harder is a beautiful lie. You will not know how to work smart until you've worked very hard for an irrationally long time."
I don’t know who first said this, but it rings true in every corner of the Valley.
We love the idea of shortcuts.
The promise that if we just find the right system, the right hack, the right tool, we’ll glide effortlessly toward success.
But the truth is less glamorous: wisdom is born in the trenches.
You cannot know what “smart” looks like until you’ve lived through the grind.
Until you’ve carried the weight of long hours, failed experiments, and irrational persistence. It’s only after walking that path that you begin to see patterns, rhythms, and bridges that others miss.
In coaching, this matters deeply. Our clients don’t need us to hand them shortcuts.
They need us to walk beside them, to honor the hard work, and to help them notice where the work begins to sing.
So yes, work smarter. But first, work harder.
Work longer than feels reasonable. Work until the noise quiets and the rhythm emerges.
That’s when the lanterns light up. That’s when the Valley opens.
And that’s when you discover: the lie was never in the work. The lie was in thinking you could skip it.
Curious to hear from you all in the comments: how has your own “irrationally long” hard work shaped the way you now work smart?
Have a wonderful week.
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